Low-Cost Treatments for Horizontal Curve Safety 2016

Appendix G: Every Day Counts – High Friction Surface Treatments

The Federal Highway Administration's Every Day Counts (EDC) initiative is designed to identify and deploy innovations aimed at shortening project delivery, enhancing the safety of our roadways, and improving environmental sustainability.

To ensure that the benefits of using HFST are attained quickly by a high percentage of the United States market, the EDC initiative has established an aggressive program to rapidly accelerate HFST deployment and adoption. As part of the subsequent EDC2 initiative, an implementation plan was created to serve as a roadmap for rapid, successful implementation of HFST, including technical guidance and assistance, benchmarking, marketing and communications, training, and project demonstrations that will highlight best practices. These treatments generated widespread interest during EDC2, and by the end of the two-year cycle, the number of States using HFSTs had grown from 14 to 39. As of the end of October 2015 that number has reached 42 states (including Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Federal Land) and 14 States have made the use of HFSTs a standard practice for reducing crashes at critical locations.

FHWA selected calcined bauxite as the aggregate of choice for HFSTs as it is high-quality, durable, resistant to polishing, and provides long lasting value as compared to other natively available aggregates. A recent study by National Center of Asphalt Technology to examine pavement surface friction performance of bauxite and seven alternative aggregate sources ranked calcined bauxite as the top performing aggregate.

Visit the EDC 2 HFST web site for more information about the EDC2 HFST program and resources.

BENEFITS

• Reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities. Wisconsin DOT placed HFST on a ramp in Milwaukee in October 2011 that has experienced 87 crashes in one year and to date has only two crashes at this location. Additionally, the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) 617 indicates a crash reduction of 20 percent for all intersection crashes.
• Benefits outweigh costs. A recent before-and-after study from South Carolina DOT for a series of curve installations indicates a cost-benefit ratio of about 24 to 1.
• Relatively low in cost compared to geometric improvements. The square-foot cost of HFST is not cheap, but its durability makes it worth the cost since the treatments are long-lasting and the life-cycle cost is excellent.
• Durable and long-lasting. HFST provide a durable and long-lasting solution to pavement locations where insufficient friction is a contributing factor in crashes.
• Customizable to specific State and local safety needs. Road owners can use where most needed, such as two-lane urban or rural roads at horizontal curves, areas near steep grades, areas at or near lane changes and rural and urban intersections.
• Produce negligible environmental impacts and minimal impact on traffic. Project lengths are short and the materials set up very quickly so the treatments can often be applied in hours, requiring minimal impact on traffic as compared to a conventional pavement overlay project.

Key activities delivered during the EDC 2 cycle: http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/pavement_friction/high_friction/

• Case Studies, Noteworthy Practice and Fact Sheets showcasing HFSTs
• HFST Education Video
• Demonstration of HFST installations at four states.
• AIDs Grant to help State DOTs to mainstream HFSTs in their States
• STIC Grant to help State DOTs to have HFSTs technology sharing with other states and locals.